Hanger bar



1961 w. E. ZEMAN EI'AL 2,993,602

HANGER BAR Filed Sept. 23, 1959 20 47 50 INVENTORS. @j WZ/zam Z Z ezrzm'z,

BY James 75. 26mm, 32 em nflw, await W United States Patent G 2,993,602 HANGER BAR William E. Zeman and James R. Zeman, both of Zeman Mfg. Co., 716 Legion 'St., Maywood, Ill. Filed Sept. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 841,898 3 Claims. (Cl. 211-123) The present invention relates to an improved construction of hanger bar adapted to extend horizontally across the upper portion of a wardrobe container in which a considerable number of garments are adapted to be suspended in side-by-side relation on conventional wire garment hangers which have hooked engagement over the improved hanger bar. These wardrobe containers are used extensively for shipping large numbers of garments from factories to retailers, etc. or for storing garments in warehouses, moth-proof vaults, etc.

The garments are ordinarily hung on garment hangers of the conventional wire type, or of any other type, characterized by a rounded hook portion at its upper end adapted to hook down over the top side of the improved hanger bar. The rounded hook portion terminates in a downwardly and outwardly sloping end portion, which leaves the lower portion of the hook open to drop down over the hanger bar.

In the transportation of these wardrobe containers from one part of the country to another, or in the local shipment thereof to a place of storage, these containers are likely to get rough handling, being frequently knocked down and possibly rolled over from one side to the other, or being up-ended into upside down positions. If the wire hangers are free to slide along the hanger bar, the entire series of hangers may all tend to slide toward the low side of the container, or their hook portions may become completely unhooked from the hanger bar. This is likely to result in relative rubbing and swinging motion between the garments, with the likely possibility of claimable damage thereto; and if the hangers become unhooked from the hanger bar the garments will all. drop to the bottom of the wardrobe container into a scrambled mass as soon as the container is restored to upright position, subjecting the shipper to charges for repressing the garments.

The primary object of our invention is to provide an improved hanger bar which establishes interlocking engagement with each and every garment hanger at two spaced points of anchorage around the hook of the hanger, these two spaced points of anchorage preventing sliding displacement of the hangers along the hanger bar, and also preventing separation of the hanger hooks from the bar in any tilting, up-ending or other rough handling of the wardrobe container.

In this regard, another object of the invention is to provide an improved hanger bar wherein one of these points of anchorage for each garment hanger is established by a series of shoulders, beads or similar projections located at closely spaced intervals along the top of the hanger bar, and preferably extending upwardly therefrom. These shoulders, beads or like projections form positive stops for preventing the tops of the hook portions of the garment hangers from sliding longitudinally along the hanger bar when the wardrobe container is tipped in one direction or the other.

In this same regard, another object of the invention is to provide an improved hanger bar wherein the second of these two points of anchorage for each garment hanger is established by a series of locking notches formed therein for receiving and locking the downwardly sloping free ends of the rounded hooks of the hangers. The hanger bar is preferably constructed of sheet metal in the form of an inverted U-shaped channel, and one of the two legs ,of the U is bent diagonally outwardly and upwardly from one of the side legs of the hanger bar in the form of an upwardly inclined lip or flange. Formed in this lip are a plurality of longitudinally extending aligned slots, and punched out in the outer edge or wall of each of these slots are the latter closely spaced locking notches for receiving the downwardly sloping free ends of the hanger hooks, these notches having a spacing corresponding to the spacing between the aforesaid beads, which beads establish the first mentioned points of anchorage. To facilitate mounting the garment hangers on the bar, it may be desirable to tip the hanger slightly so that the sloping free end of the hanger hook can be passed down through the adjacent longitudinally extending slot in the inclined lip, following which the free end of the hanger will then swing outwardly into the adjacent locking notch as soon as the hanger is released for swinging down into its gravitationally suspended position.

Other objects of the invention are to provide improved hanger bars which are of very stiff strong construction capable of holding a large weight of clothing on transcontinental or other long trucking shipments; also to provide improved hanger bars of inexpensive one-piece construction which can be nested together for compactness, either in storing or shipping a large number of hanger bars, separately from the wardrobe containers.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detail description of one preferred embodiment thereof. In the accompanying drawing illustrating such embodiment:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a wardrobe container showing our improved hanger bar mounted therein, With a conventional wire clothes hanger suspended therefrom.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the improved hanger bar.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side or edge view thereof, and

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view of the bar on a slightly larger scale, taken on the plane of the line 4--4 of FIGURE 3, and illustrating in dotted lines the above wire clothes hanger having interlocking engagement with the hanger bar at the aforementioned two points of anchorage.

The wardrobe container fragmentarily illustrated at 10 in FIGURE 1 is generally of rectangular shape comprising two side Walls 11 and 12 and two end walls 13 and 14, and is usually composed of corrugated board, cardboard, fiber board or the like. These wardrobes are generally of collapsible or foldable construction so that they can be folded into a flat compact package when they are not holding garments; and in some instances they are also provided with folding skeleton frames for reinforcing purposes, such characteristics, however, having nothing to do with the present invention. The wardrobe is usually formed with an open top, and one of the side walls 11 or 12 is generally provided with a down-folding flap 16 to facilitate the hanging of garments within the Wardrobe. After the Wardrobe has been loaded with its quota of garments, the open top thereof is completely covered by a rectangularly shaped top or cap enclosure (not shown) which fits down over the open top of the wardrobe 10, such practice being old and well known in the art.

Our improved hanger bar is designated 20 in its entirety, and extends across the top of the wardrobe between the two end Walls 13 and 14. The bar is punched out of sheet metal, and has the transverse span thereof of an inverted U-shaped cross section having a rounded upper ridge portion 21 and two downwardly extending side flanges 22 and 23, as best shown in FIG- URE 4. The side flange 23 has its lower portion bent outwardly and upwardly to form the upwardly sloping .r V 3 outer lip or flange 24, in notches for establishing the second points of anchorage of the garment hangers, as will be later described.

The mounting of the hanger bar 20 on the end walls 1314 is eifected through outwardly and downwardly extending wing clips 26 and 27 which are formed as diagonal extensions of the down turned side flanges 22 and 23 at the ends of the hanger bar. FIGURE 3, these wing clips 26 and 27 define flat narrow U-shaped channels 28 which are adapted to be pressed down snugly over the top edges of the side walls 13-44. In such mounted position, the rounded top rim portion 21 of the hanger bar lies slightly below the top edges of the side walls 13-44. The hanger bar can be readily removed from the wardrobe when it is desired to collapse the wardrobe.

A conventional form of wire garment hanger is indicated at 30. These are usually made of a single length of wire bent into the form of the outwardly extending shoulder supporting portions 32 and the lower cross span 34. Above the shoulder supporting portions 32, the two end portions of the wire are intertwisted together at 36, and one of the wire ends is continued upwardly therefrom to form the rounded hook formation 38. The other side of this rounded hook formation 38 extends diagonally outwardly and downwardly in the form of a sloping end portion 40, which leaves the bottom of the hook 38 open for dropping down over the hanger bar. It will be noted that the radius of curvature of the rounded upper ridge portion 21 of the hanger bar is substantially smaller than the radius of the curvature of the conventional hook portion 38; and that the level of the inclined lip 24 lies substantially above the terminal end 40 of the hook portion.

Referring now to the first mentioned points of anchorage formed along the top edge of the hanger bar 20, these are preferably in the form of small spherically shaped beads 44, which are punched upwardly in closely spaced sequence along the upper ridge line 21 of the hanger bar. These beads define pockets or depressions 46 therebetween in which the uppermost portions of the hanger hooks 38 engage, whereby the hooks are anchored or restrained against sliding motion along the hanger bar.

The second mentioned points of anchorage comprise a series of longitudinally spaced slots 48 which are punched out in the upwardly inclined lip or flange 24, as best shown in FIGURE 2. The outer edge of each slot 48 is formed with a series of outwardly extending tapered notches 50, which are preferably located insubstantially vertical alignment with the depressions between the beads '44. Where the web portions 52 intervene between the ends of adjacent slots 48 there are no locking notches 50, and in these areas the beads 44 may be dispensed with, if desired.

In the mounting of garment hangers 30 on the hanger bar 20, the diagonally projecting end portion 40 of each hanger bar is first inserted downwardly through one of the slots 48, and the rounded hook portion 38 is then dropped down upon the ridge portion 21. When it is desired to load the hanger bar to capacity, each garment hanger should be held at right angles to the hanger bar as it is brought into position so that the hook portion 38 of each hanger will engage Within the matching depression which is intransverse or vertical alignment with the notch 50 in which the diagonal end portion 40 has been engaged. It is very easy to load the garment hangers on the hanger bar, aided materially by the angle of the notched lip 24, whereby the hangers can be hung on the bar in dimly lighted or dark areas by the sense of feeling in the insertion of the diagonal ends 40 into the notched slots 48.

The resulting interlocking engagement of the garment hangers on the hanger bar, at the two spaced points of anchorage defined by the notches t) and the depressions 46, prevents all possibility of the garment hangers slidwhich are formed the tapered As shown in ing lengthwise along the hanger bar in the tipping, dropping, up-ending or other rough handling of the garment wardrobe 10. These two spaced points of anchorage also prevent the garment hangers from becoming unhooked from the hanger bar in any up-ending movement or other rough handling of the Wardrobe. By virtue of having the rounded ridge portion 21 of the hanger bar constructed on a smaller radius than that of the circular hook portion 38 of the hanger the contact between such hook portion and ridge portion is limited substantially to the point of contact Where the hook portion engages downwwdly between the beads 44. Thus, the weight of a garment supported on the hanger has a tendency to straighten out the hook portion 38, with the result that the diagonal end 40 is flexed upwardly and outwardly into tighter fitting engagement in the end of the interlocking notch 50. The heavier the garment, the greater the force tending to flex this end 40 upwardly and out wardly into the notch.

We have shown the most prevalent type of wire garment hanger, wherein a single strand of wire extends outwardly to form the circular hook 38 and diagonal end 40. However, some garment hangers are in use in which the circular hook and diagonal outer end are made up of two contacting or closely spaced strands of wire. This latter type of garment hanger is also usable on our improved hanger bar, the two side-by-side strands of wire being accommodated by the sloping side surfaces of the depressions 46 between the beads 44, and also by the wedge or tapered formation of the interlocking notches 50.

The inverted U-shaped cross section of the hanger bar establishes maximum weight carrying ability with minimum thickness of material, and also aflords a construction which enables a considerable number of these hanger bars to be nested together for storage or shipment in a minimum amount of space.

While we have illustrated and described what we regard to be the preferred embodiment of our invention, nevertheless it will be understood that such is merely exemplary and that numerous modifications and rearrangements may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a hanger bar for mounting at the upper end of a wardrobe container for supporting a plurality of garment hangers of the Wire type each having a rounded hook portion terminating in a diagonally sloping end portion, said hanger bar comprising a transversely extending channel-shaped portion, Wing clips on the ends of said channel-shaped portion adapted to fit down over the upper edge of the wardrobe container, for receiving rounded hook portions of hangers by engagement over the channelshaped portion'of the hanger bar, a plurality of spaced projections extending upwardly from said channel-shaped portion to prevent endwise sliding motion of the hangers along the hanger bar, a flange projecting laterally from said channel-shaped portion, slot means in said flange, and a plurality of interlocking notches in the outer edge of said slot means for receiving the diagonally sloping end portions of the hangers.

2. In a hanger bar for mounting in a wardrobe container for the purpose of supporting a plurality of garment hangers of the type each having a rounded hook portion and a diagonally sloping end portion, said hanger bar comprising a transverse portion of inverted U-shaped section defining a rounded ridge surface over which the rounded hook portions of the hangers are adapted to engage, wing clips on the ends of said transverse portion adapted to fit down over the upper edge of the Wardrobe container, a plurality of beads projecting upwardly from said rounded ridge surface to prevent endwise sliding movement of the garment hangers along the hanger bar, a lip projecting outwardly from one side of the said U- shaped section, and a plurality of interlocking notches formed in said lip for receiving the diagonally sloping end portions of the garment hangers, said rounded ridge surface being of smaller diameter than the rounded hook portions of the garment hangers whereby the weight of the garments on the hangers has a tendency to flex the diagonally extending end portions of the hangers in an outward direction into said interlocking notches.

3. In a hanger bar for mounting in a wardrobe container for the purpose of supporting a plurality of garment hangers of the type each having a rounded hook portion and a diagonally sloping end portion, said hanger bar comprising a transverse portion of inverted U-shaped section defining a rounded ridge surface over which the rounded hook portions of the hangers are adapted to engage, said hanger bar also comprising two spaced side flanges extending downwardly from the sides of said upper rounded ridge surface, wing clips formed integral with said two spaced side flanges at the ends of the hanger bar and extending diagonally outwardly and downwardly from said side flanges to form relatively narrow downwardly facing U-shaped mounting channels adapted to be pressed down over the top edges of opposite side walls of the wardrobe container, spaced projections extending upwardly from substantially the uppermost portion of said rounded ridge surface for engaging between substantially the uppermost parts of the rounded hook curvatures of adjacent garment hangers for preventing sliding movement of the garment hangers along the hanger bar, and notched holding means associated with one of the said side flanges adapted to be engaged by said diagonally sloping end portion of each garment hanger when the hook portion of the hanger is lowered down upon the hanger bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,068,451 Elmore Jan. 19, 1937 2,517,072 Zimmer Aug. 1, 1950 2,540,023 Ackerman Jan. 30, 1951 2,633,979 Warnick Apr. 7, 1953 2,796,977 Divine June 25, 1957 2,805,780 Brennan Sept. 10, 1957 2,893,545 Garfunkel July 7, 1959 2,920,766 Ivan Ian. 12, 1960 

